THE LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Module 11 – JOSE RIZAL AND PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM: NATIONAL SYMBOL

Name: ________________________________________________ Section/Year: ______________________

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

 Examine the values highlighted by the various representations of Rizal as a national symbol.
 Advocate the values Rizal’s life encapsulates

According to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), official national symbols of the Philippines
represent the country’s traditions and ideals and convey the principles of Philippine sovereignty and national solidarity.
Some of these symbols are stated in the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, which is also known as Republic Act
8491. The national language of the Philippines is Filipino as stated in the Constitution of the Philippines. Aside from those
stated symbols in the Constitution and in Republic Act 8491, there are only five official national symbols of the Philippines
enacted through law, namely 1) sampaguita as national flower, 2) narra as national tree, 3) the Philippine eagle as
national bird, 4) Philippine pearl as national gem and 5) arnis as national sport.
There are symbols such as the carabao (national animal), mango (national fruit) and anahaw (national leaf) that
are widely known as national symbols but have no laws recognizing them as official national symbols. Even Jose Rizal,
who is widely considered as a national hero, has not been declared officially as a national hero in any existing Philippine
law according to historical experts. Although in 2003, Benigno Aquino, Jr. was officially declared by the President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo as a national hero by an executive order. On the other hand, a National Artist of the Philippines is a
rank or a title given to a Filipino citizen in recognition to the recipient's contributions to Philippine arts and letters and they
are not considered as a national symbol that represents traditions and ideals.
On February 17, 2014, Bohol First District Representative Rene Relampagos filed a bill at the Philippine House of
Representatives that seeks to declare or re-declare and to recognize a number of national symbols. The proposed bill,
House Bill 3926 or the "Philippine National Symbols Act of 2014", aims also to encourage nationalism and unity; to
guarantee respect, preservation and promotion of national symbols; and to correct the "unofficial" status of the symbols.
Among the proposed national symbols listed in the measure are Jose Rizal as the only historical Filipino to be recognized
as national hero, adobo as national food and jeepney as national vehicle. It also includes the previously mentioned
national symbols.
During the Commonwealth Era in 1934, it was Governor-General Frank Murphy who declared sampaguita and
narra as national flower and national tree, respectively, through Proclamation No. 652. Philippine President Fidel Ramos
proclaimed the Philippine eagle as the national bird in 1995 through Proclamation No. 615. Ramos also declared the
South Sea Pearl or Philippine Pearl as the national gem in 1996 through Proclamation No. 905. In 2009, President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo declared arnis as the national sport and martial art through Republic Act 9850.
In February 2013, the Philippine Senate passed a bill declaring waling-waling (Vanda sanderiana) as the national
flower alongside sampaguita. A similar bill in the House of Representatives had already been passed in 2012. Normally,
the bill would become law after being signed by the President however, it was vetoed by President Benigno Aquino III.
The veto has left the waling-waling as an unofficial national symbol.

MAKING A NATIONAL SYMBOL OFFICIAL

A Philippine national symbol will be considered official once it is declared through a law or a proclamation.
National symbols such as the cariñosa, carabao, bangus (milkfish), and anahaw (footstool palm) that are circulating
through various sources have no official status and have not established by law. According to Nestor Castro, a Filipino
cultural anthropologist, most of these unofficial symbols were passed on as tradition in schools every start of the school
year when students were asked to buy posters containing the supposed national symbols. While official national symbols
are declared through law, Castro and National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Section Chief Teodoro
Atienza considered that the public must be consulted first before declaration of national symbol.

FILIPINOS AS NATIONAL SYMBOL

According to the NHCP Section Chief Teodoro Atienza, and Filipino historian Ambeth Ocampo, there is no Filipino
historical figure officially declared national hero through law or executive order, although there were laws and
proclamations honoring Filipino heroes. In the Rizal Law principally sponsored by Claro M. Recto and enacted in 1956,
Jose Rizal is mentioned as a national hero in the "whereas" clause of the law. Although, "whereas" clauses function as
a preamble or introduction and it is not part of the provisions. On November 15, 1995, the Technical Committee of the
National Heroes Committee, created through Executive Order No. 5 by former President Fidel Ramos, recommended nine
Filipino historical figures to be National Heroes: Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini,
Marcelo H. del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino, and Gabriela Silang. No action has been
taken for these recommended National Heroes until it was revisited in one of the proceedings of the 14th Congress in
2009.

RIZAL AS A NATIONAL SYMBOL

It was shown in the previous lesson how Rizal was recognized as our national hero. Granting that he belongs to
the unofficial national symbols, it cannot be denied that Rizal’s name and memory have long been representing the
principles of sovereignty and national solidarity, symbolizing our country.

VALUES DERIVED FROM RIZAL’S LIFE

From the various representations of Rizal as a national symbol, one may learn significant ideals and principles
that may be of good use in everyday life. By studying Rizal’s life and works, the following values may be captured (as
adopted from Mañebog et. Al, 2018):

1. Nationalism and Patriotism

Nationalism involves the desire to attain freedom and political independence, especially by a country under a
foreign power. Jose Rizal’s life, works and writings, especially his novels, radiate this value.

2. Patriotism
Patriotism denotes proud devotion and loyalty to one’s nation. Rizal’s visions and proposals on how the
people of our country could be on the road to progress are commendable. The aim, of course, is so that the Filipinos
could enjoy the fullness of nationhood, especially politically, culturally, and economically, under the mantle of national
solidarity.

3. Faith in God
When Rizal was studying in Madrid, Spain, he assured his mother, through his letter, of his faith in God.
When his sister Olympia dided of childbirth in 1887, Rizal pronounced, “I console myself saying that it was the will of
God and what He does must be the best.”

4. Love of Fellowmen
Rizal advocated thinking well of our fellowmen. His life exemplified the principle that love of neighbor entails
involvement in his or her behalf. Rizal’s thought on love for our fellowmen is biblical and timeless.

5. Love of Parents
Rizal’s love for his parents is great and very admirable. He studied medicine and ophthalmology just to cure
his mother’s failing eyesight. Rizal also adored his father. In 1881, he made a clay bust of his father. About six years
later, he carved a life-size wood sculpture of Don Francisco as an expression of his love for him. In his novels, Noli
and El Fili, the character of Ibarra has also shown his love for his father.

6. Devotion to Truth
Rizal is a believer of revealing the truth. He believed that it was not good to hide the truth. Rizal’s persevering
search for truth in serving his country was a motivating virtue. Wishing to get a t the cause of his people’s
backwardness, Rizal did intensive studies and carried out broad observations on the progress of other nations.

7. Purity and idealism

Rizal was a person guided not only by practical considerations but also by ideals. Extraordinary also was his
insistence on purity of thoughts.

8. Noble Thought and Conduct

Rizal’s works and writings promoted good conduct, clean conscience, and upright thinking. In his writings, for
instance, he advised mothers to awaken the mind of the children and prepare them for every good and desirable
thought and deed.

9. Charity
Rizal seemed to feel happy when he could give joy to somebody. All his sacrifices for his country were
charitable acts for his fellowmen.

10. Dedication to Duty

Dedication to one’s duty was another splendid virtue of Rizal. He virtually dedicated his whole life in securing
freedom for his country and happiness for his people, a commitment historically unequaled in the history of his
country.

11. Moral Courage

 Rizal’s courage in working for the betterment of his country, despite all odds, is a virtue that is so essential
even today. His moral courage to do the best for his people is worth imitating by our present leaders.

12. Willpower
Willpower is the ability to control or restrain oneself. Although the Spanish colonizers instilled in Rizal’s
generation inferiority complex and the idea that locals were better governed by the Spaniards, Rizal worked on the
opposite idea that his people could be great and deserved freedom.

13. Integrity
Integrity refers to the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. In many aspects, Rizal is a
model of moral uprightness and honesty. These virtues he held were the result of his constant love and search for the
truth.

14. Sincerity
Sincerity is essentially linked to humility as it makes us know the truth about ourselves, to accept the truth
whatever it may be, and live according to it. Rizal’s sincerity is manifested in his acceptance that whatever he
possessed, he owed them to God who had planned a duty he had to carry out.

15. Self-Denial
Rizal gave up his personal desires for a better cause, that is, working for the welfare of his country. His self-
denial involved self-sacrifice and altruism.

16. Perseverance
It refers to the steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. In serving his
country, Rizal showed mental and moral strength in meeting and enduring pain, adversity and peril.

17. Discipline and Self-Control

Discipline is the suppression of base desires, and is typically understood to be synonymous with self-restraint
and control. In many instances, Rizal used reason to determine the best course of action regardless of his desires. In
fact, he deprived himself of many unsound pleasures.

18. Initiative
Initiative is the ability to assess and initiate things independently. Patriotic as he was, Rizal manifested the
power to act or take charge before others do, especially in nationalistic pursuits.

19. Prudence
Prudence is care, caution and good judgment, as well as wisdom in looking ahead. Rizal showed prudence in
choosing the best means of accomplishing things. He had the habit of selecting the most courteous and profitable
course of action.

20. Chivalry, Courtesy and Politeness

Chivalry is the combination of qualities expected of an ideal gentleman, especially courtesy and readiness to
help the weak or women. Rizal’s sense of chivalry prompted him to challenge Antonio Luna to a duel when the
intoxicated Luna made negative comments against a woman. Nellie Boustead. Being well-bred, Rizal was courteous
as he was gracious and considerate towards others.

21. Frugality
Rizal was careful about spending money and any other resources and in using thing when he did not need to.
He practice frugality when he was a student Madrid; he would have his shoes repaired instead of buying new ones.
To economize in the printing of his Noli, Rizal deleted the chapter “Elias and Salome,” which was supposed to be
Chapter 25.

22. Love for Justice

Justice refers to fairness in the way people are dealt with. Having a good conscience, Rizal found joy in being
just and in fighting for justice. He died fighting for justice not only for himself and his family but also for his people.

CRITERIA FOR NATIONAL HEROES

The concept of officially recognizing heroes began in the Philippines in 1900 when the Philippine Commission
(Pardo de Tavera, Legarda, Luzurriaga (Filipino members) and headed by William Howard Taft) approved Act No. 137
combining the districts of Morong and Manila to be named as “Province of Rizal,” in honor of the most illustrious Filipino.
From that time on, heroes were celebrated here and there, hearing their names in many speeches, declaring holidays,
naming streets, constructing monuments, and many more, in their honor.
 It was until one day that the need to evaluate the situation was proposed, realizing that there were so many
names that were acknowledged as heroes. During Ferdinand Marcos’ presidency, he tasked the National Heroes
Commission to come up with the criteria for national hero. On March 28, 1993, thru the President’s Executive Order No.
75 under the former President Fidel V. Ramos, the National Heroes Committee (NHC) was created. They were
commissioned to study, evaluate and recommend historical figures to be declared as national heroes. The Committee
composed of worthy members , with a series of discussions came up with the new criteria. The criteria is composed of 10
standards and they are as follows:
1. The extent of a person’s sacrifices for the welfare of the country
2. The motive and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal (Was his ideal purely for the welfare of the country
and without any taint of selfinterested motives, most of all the method of attainment should be morally valid)
3. The moral character of the person concerned (the person should not have any immorality issue that affected his ideal)
4. The influence of the person concerned on his age and or the succeeding age.
5. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the nation’s freedom (they must
have desired the country’s freedom in any situation especially when there’s a threat of invasion in any form).
6. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system of life of freedom and order for a nation (one who helps in the
orderliness and betterment of the country).
7. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation.
8. A hero is part of the people’s expression (the citizen must have recognized and acknowledged the person as a hero).
9. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations, his concern for the future generations must be seen in his
decisions and ideals).
10. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but of the entire process that
made this particular person a hero.

As discussed earlier, no law, executive order, or proclamation has been officially enacted or issued proclaiming
any Filipino historical figure as a national hero. But of course, there were laws enacted and proclamations issued to honor
some names because of their substantial roles in the process of nation-building and contributions to history.
Nevertheless, our national heroes remain admired and revered for their roles in the country’s history. Heroes,
according to historians, should not be legislated. Their appreciation should be better left to academics. Acclamation for
heroes, they felt, would be recognition enough.
For many, Rizal holds the status of being a universally-acclaimed Philippine national hero as acknowledgement of
his contribution to the major social transformations that took place in the Philippines. In spite of the fact that Rizal did not
participate in an actual revolution, the late journalist Armando Malay expressed this:
“The field from which a national hero would spring is not limited to the field of revolution. Maybe, in some new African
nation, the national hero would be the one who invents a vaccine that would forever banish a debilitating disease (as cited
in De Ocampo, n.d.).”
 M

Name: ___________________________________________________ Section/ Year: ___________________

IDENTIFICATION. Read each statement carefully and Identify what is being described in each item.

____________________1. Frugality was evident in Rizal when he deleted this chapter in his Noli. What was the title of
the supposed Chapter 25 that he omitted?
____________________2. He is the only other hero given an implicit recognition as a national hero aside from Rizal.
____________________3. She was the woman behind Rizal and Luna’s duel.
____________________4. Who was the president who issued EO No. 75 creating the National Heroes Committee
(NHC)?
____________________5. It is the commission that states that official national symbols represent the country’s traditions
and ideals and convey the principles of Philippine sovereignty and national solidarity.
____________________6. This is considered as the national flower.
____________________7. It is the ability to control or restrain oneself.
____________________8. This denotes proud devotion and loyalty to one’s nation.
____________________9. It refers to fairness in the way people are dealt with.
____________________10. What were the combined districts that were named as the “Province of Rizal”?
____________________11. He was the biographer that said, “The doctrines of Rizal are not for one epoch but for all
epochs.”
____________________12. It is the national sport.
____________________13. Rizal showed this virtue by being a model of moral uprightness and honesty.
____________________14. What are the combined qualities that are expected of an ideal gentleman?
____________________15. It is the representation of country’s traditions and ideals.

MODIFIED TRUE OR FALSE. Write TRUE if the statement is correct. Otherwise, change the underlined word/s to make
the statement true.
____________________1. Patriotism is the desire to attain freedom from a foreign country.
____________________2. Rizal cared a life-size wood sculpture of his mother as an expression of his love for her.
____________________3. Rizal did intensive studies to help the Philippines. In doing this, he displayed the value of
dedication to duty.
____________________4. Willpower is the virtue that is worth imitating by our present leaders according to Mañebog.
____________________5. When Rizal deprived himself of many unsound pleasures, he showed self-denial.
____________________6. Antonio Luna was among the historical figures recommended to be recognized as one of the
national heroes of the Philippines.
____________________7. A person can be a hero even if the citizens did not recognize him/her.
____________________8. It was President Ferdinand Marcos who assigned the National Heroes Commission to create a
criteria for a national hero.
____________________9. It was President Corazon Aquino who recommended that Ninoy Aquino be considered as one
of the national heroes.
____________________10. The carabao is one of the official national symbols.
____________________11. Martial Arts is the national sport of the Philippines.
____________________12. Waling-Waling is the national flower of the Philippines.
____________________13. Bayang Magiliw is the national anthem of the country.
____________________14. Sinigang is the unofficial national food of the country.
____________________15. Saturnina was Rizal’s sister who died of childbirth in 1887

SHORT ESSAY. Read and analyze the question. Answer briefly but concisely.

 Is there anyone in your life whom you consider your “hero”? Describe him/her to explain your answer.

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